Bread and Butter Pickles

A day late and a dollar short but as promised here is my recipe for Bread and Butter Pickles.  This was also my first time using my Tattler lids.  If you haven't heard about these boy oh boy are you missing out!  These lids are reusable.  As in you can use them year after year.  They are a little pricey but you have to remember that you aren't having to keep buying lids over and over again.  These are a great addition to your preps.  There may come a day when canning lids are hard to come by.  Check them out HERE

OK.... Let's talk pickles!  I started with the cucumbers you see here.  I didn't count them but I am pretty sure there are around 25 (more or less).  I cut up the cucumbers into slices.  Then I sliced my onions and put them in a big bowl.  I added the salt and covered them with lots of ice. Then set them in the fridge for a few hours.  This will give them the crispy crunch I like.


It's so hot here that I waited until after dark to start the canning process.  I put my waterbath canning pot on the stove to get my water ready to boil.  Then I rinsed off the pickles and onions.  You want to make sure you rinse them really well or they will be pretty salty.  You don't want that!  I also got my lids and rings ready to go. 

Next it was time to get my "mix" ready.  I put the vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, celery seed, cloves and turmeric in a large pot and got it to boiling.  Then I added my  pickles and onions and let it get back to almost boiling.  Oh, if you have never used turmeric before you might want to know that it will stain your cabinet top.  So be careful with it.  (Hmmm.... I bet you could use it as a dye if you like that weird yellow color) 

I took it off the stove and started filling my jars.  You want to be sure you get a good seal so be sure to wipe the tops of your jars.  This mixture is sticky!  Fill your jars up, leaving about a 1/2 inch head space. The Tattler lids are a little different than using regular canning lids.  With them you put the rubber ring on and then center the lid.  Tighten the ring on them and then back the lid up a 1/4 inch.  Process for 10 minutes.  Lift your jars out and put them on a towel.  Tighten the rings back up on your jars and let them cool somewhere without a draft hitting them.  Once the jars have cooled you can remove the rings. The only thing I don't like about the Tattler lids is that they don't "Ping" when they seal.  You actually have to pull on the lid to make sure it sealed.  

These pickles are best if you let them sit a couple of weeks. If you can wait that long!!  I only had one jar that didn't seal.  My guess is that I didn't clean the rim of the jar well enough.  See the one with the ring still on it?  That's the jar I put in the fridge for eating first.  

Oh I didn't mention how yummy they are.  I guess you will have to try them for yourself and see!  Some folks add green peppers and garlic to their Bread and Butter Pickles but I don't.  These are exactly like the ones my great grandmother used to make.  Brings back good memories.

Bread and Butter Pickles
Ingredients

    25 cucumbers, thinly sliced
    6 onions, thinly sliced
    1/2 cup salt
   
    3 cups cider vinegar (I used regular vinegar because I was out of the other)
    4 cups white sugar 
    2 tablespoons mustard seed
    1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
    1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
    1 tablespoon ground turmeric

Directions

    In a large bowl, mix together cucumbers, onions, and salt. Allow to stand approximately 3 hours.

    In a large saucepan, mix the cider vinegar, white sugar, mustard seed, celery seed, whole cloves and turmeric. Bring to a boil.
    Drain liquid from the cucumber mixture. Rinse well. Stir the mixture into the boiling vinegar mixture. Remove from heat shortly before the combined mixtures return to boil.
 Ladle into jars, leaving  1/2 inch headspace and waterbath process for 10 minutes.

And there you have it.  Pretty simple really and it didn't take much time at all to do.
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